Commanders Post at The Warpath - View Single Post

12thMan · 11-29-2007, 06:36 AM

Good thread. I was telling someone that this sadness will linger for the remainder of the season without a doubt. Can't really explain it. I think I'm in a different stage of grieving about this, but definitely still grieving.

The best way I could explain why this particular athlete's death has impacted me so much was that I felt I had some emotional real estate, so to speak, invested in him; his career, his future. We were in a very peculiar way tied together and connected by those burgundy and gold colors he wore. Yes, it was the colors the connected us first of all. You see I had a strong affinity for the burgundy and gold long before Taylor came on the scene, so my affection for the Skins is not fleeting.

Then it was something about the way he played in those colors that actually brought them to life to me. He somehow elevated the level of competition...and he did it while being a Washington Redskin. It made me proud to say Sean Taylor plays for MY team. The moment we say "my" it somehow implies ownership. And if the Redskins were "my" team then, shit, so was Sean Taylor to a lesser degree.

And I think that's why I say real estate because no other NFL fan could lay claim to that fan ownership and embracing Sean Taylor and his unique gift quite the way I could. Nope, not like me and my Warpath brethren. They could appreciate his talent. They could admire his talent. They could even degrade his talent and call him average. Didn't matter. But they could never say, at least in my mind, I feel the same way you feel about #21. No more than they could visit my residence and say I feel the same way about this place that you feel. You see, Taylor took up residence in my mind on Sunday's. Proof of that is we would start threads about Taylor leading up to the game and afterward. Whether it was off season, pre-season or post season, Sean Taylor occupied our minds. I guess while we couldn't be legitimate and legal owners of the Washington Redskins themselves, we could somehow become minority owners of Sean Taylor's career. It sounds weird, but that's the only way I know how to articulate it.

I was looking forward to seeing him on Sunday's. I was looking forward to extending the history that we had. I would wait 120 hours during the week to spend time with the Washington Redskins and Sean Taylor just for three hours (or whatever it is) on gameday. Every Sunday our bond extended itself by another three hours. I held those three hours close and dear to my heart and mind. Now it's become clear that Taylor and I have no more three hours left to share. Superman has gone home. Oh, I'm sure there will be another super hero to land in Ashburn at some point, but you had better believe he won't be any Sean Taylor. Even if, by definition, he's a greater football player. He won't be Sean Taylor. And while I'll embrace him soley because of those burgundy and gold colors, I'm not sure he'll bring them to life quite like Sean Taylor did....for three hours every Sunday.

Sean, my next three hours on Sunday won't ever be quite the same now that you're gone.

Sean we love you.

11-29-2007, 06:36 AM	#12
12thMan MVP Join Date: May 2005 Location: washington, D.C. Posts: 11,460	Re: The closure thread Good thread. I was telling someone that this sadness will linger for the remainder of the season without a doubt. Can't really explain it. I think I'm in a different stage of grieving about this, but definitely still grieving. The best way I could explain why this particular athlete's death has impacted me so much was that I felt I had some emotional real estate, so to speak, invested in him; his career, his future. We were in a very peculiar way tied together and connected by those burgundy and gold colors he wore. Yes, it was the colors the connected us first of all. You see I had a strong affinity for the burgundy and gold long before Taylor came on the scene, so my affection for the Skins is not fleeting. Then it was something about the way he played in those colors that actually brought them to life to me. He somehow elevated the level of competition...and he did it while being a Washington Redskin. It made me proud to say Sean Taylor plays for MY team. The moment we say "my" it somehow implies ownership. And if the Redskins were "my" team then, shit, so was Sean Taylor to a lesser degree. And I think that's why I say real estate because no other NFL fan could lay claim to that fan ownership and embracing Sean Taylor and his unique gift quite the way I could. Nope, not like me and my Warpath brethren. They could appreciate his talent. They could admire his talent. They could even degrade his talent and call him average. Didn't matter. But they could never say, at least in my mind, I feel the same way you feel about #21. No more than they could visit my residence and say I feel the same way about this place that you feel. You see, Taylor took up residence in my mind on Sunday's. Proof of that is we would start threads about Taylor leading up to the game and afterward. Whether it was off season, pre-season or post season, Sean Taylor occupied our minds. I guess while we couldn't be legitimate and legal owners of the Washington Redskins themselves, we could somehow become minority owners of Sean Taylor's career. It sounds weird, but that's the only way I know how to articulate it. I was looking forward to seeing him on Sunday's. I was looking forward to extending the history that we had. I would wait 120 hours during the week to spend time with the Washington Redskins and Sean Taylor just for three hours (or whatever it is) on gameday. Every Sunday our bond extended itself by another three hours. I held those three hours close and dear to my heart and mind. Now it's become clear that Taylor and I have no more three hours left to share. Superman has gone home. Oh, I'm sure there will be another super hero to land in Ashburn at some point, but you had better believe he won't be any Sean Taylor. Even if, by definition, he's a greater football player. He won't be Sean Taylor. And while I'll embrace him soley because of those burgundy and gold colors, I'm not sure he'll bring them to life quite like Sean Taylor did....for three hours every Sunday. Sean, my next three hours on Sunday won't ever be quite the same now that you're gone. Sean we love you.